Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
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Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
#2RWD are harder to drive in snow and slippery conditions.
Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
#3RWD are harder to drive in snow and slippery conditions.
It’s not such a straightforward equation any more. As the article explains, electric cars can play tricks with the weight distribution that ICE vehicles can’t, and I would put a modern rwd with the latest traction assistance features above a FWD car from the early 2000s.
Snow tires makes more of a difference than being FWD or RWD in heavy conditions is the real truth here.
Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
#4Was only a matter of time IMO. The two big enough to matter pros to FWD are packaging (no pesky drive-train competing for space) and stupid proofing (in the form or more forward crashing and less sideways crashing). EVs solve the former. Modern computer control solves the latter, though side curtain airbags, pre tensioners and modern expectations of seat bolstering had long since diminished it.
Trying to make two tires do all the going and the lion's share of the turning is just silly for a variety of reasons (competing design goals for suspension/handling, tire wear, performance, etc) and without some big pros to make up for it there's no reason to incur that.
Of course some applications that have cargo space as the utmost priority will remain FWD forever (Promaster style vans, probably some station wagons and subcompact hatches, etc) but for more rounded cars, especially ones with AWD optional having RWD be the default just makes too much sense from a suspension design and handling perspective to ignore.
Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
#5RWD are harder to drive in snow and slippery conditions.
It’s not such a straightforward equation any more. As the article explains, electric cars can play tricks with the weight distribution that ICE vehicles can’t, and I would put a modern rwd with the latest traction assistance features above a FWD car from the early 2000s. Snow tires makes more of a difference than being FWD or RWD in heavy conditions is the real truth here.
I have an 1/8 mile long driveway with a curve on a slope. I have sworn by an FF compact car with good snow tires (Used to be Hakka R's, but now Blizzak)
Snow tires are essential. I went out one day on Dec 31 without snows and made it about 300 feet from my driveway before I went in the ditch and rolled my car.
Circa 2008 I drove a FR Buick for a few weeks that had traction control and I was impressed with how it handled in the snow.
Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
#6RWD are harder to drive in snow and slippery conditions.
RWD cars allow you develop a much higher degree of skill at driving because of the requirement to separately manage traction on the drive and steering axles.
Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
#7RWD are harder to drive in snow and slippery conditions.
As somebody who learned to drive in snow in a RWD vehicle, I think FWD is frankly ridiculous in slippery conditions. If you lose traction in the front, you lose all control of the vehicle. With RWD, you rarely lose traction on all 4 tires, so you always have at least one working control. I've never really gotten the hang of driving FWD in snow, and greatly prefer RWD.
The trick, in my experience, is to learn how to get into a tailspin and do donuts. Unplowed parking lots are best for this. When you're familiar enough with the vehicle to do controlled tricks, you're just about prepared for an emergency. I've never owned a FWD car through a snowy winter; it's really down to what you're experienced with.
Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
#8RWD are harder to drive in snow and slippery conditions.
RWD cars allow you develop a much higher degree of skill at driving because of the requirement to separately manage traction on the drive and steering axles.
For one thing, you can enter and maintain a drift in an FR car. In a FF car you can easily enter a drift but the car will either straighten out or go into a spin.
I’d tell you about my tactics for going around corners fast in a FF car but I’d get downvoted…
Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
#9RWD are harder to drive in snow and slippery conditions.
As somebody who learned to drive in snow in a RWD vehicle, I think FWD is frankly ridiculous in slippery conditions. If you lose traction in the front, you lose all control of the vehicle. With RWD, you rarely lose traction on all 4 tires, so you always have at least one working control. I've never really gotten the hang of driving FWD in snow, and greatly prefer RWD. The trick, in my experience, is to learn how to g…
It's easy. You point the front wheels in the direction you want to go, and accelerate. The front wheels will dig the snow and also throw it off the wheels if you spin them really hard so clean tires can bite better on the snow.
Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
As somebody who learned to drive in snow in a RWD vehicle, I think FWD is frankly ridiculous in slippery conditions. If you lose traction in the front, you lose all control of the vehicle. With RWD, you rarely lose traction on all 4 tires, so you always have at least one working control. I've never really gotten the hang of driving FWD in snow, and greatly prefer RWD. The trick, in my experience, is to learn how to g…
It's easy. You point the front wheels in the direction you want to go, and accelerate. The front wheels will dig the snow and also throw it off the wheels if you spin them really hard so clean tires can bite better on the snow.
I know this on an intellectual level; like reading a book about riding a bike. But my learned instinct is to use my accelerator to control the rate of spin, which is a horrible mistake in FWD.